The Washington Capitals got hot in March but ended the month and began April with two thuds in a row. That’s what they were, thuds. They got annihilated by the Carolina Hurricanes and then got crushed by the Minnesota Wild.
All of a sudden a team that thought they found their grove has sputtered and with only a month left until the playoffs, they have to fix their game fast. In my opinion they need to fix all their areas of their game but if I had to pick a key area, I’d go with the goaltending.
The Caps had a choice at the trade deadline and they chose to try to upgrade their forwards rather than their goaltending. It looked like Vitek Vanecek had secured the number one starter’s net but he has struggled lately, possibly opening back up the competition between him and Ilya Samsonov.
Peter Laviolette told the media this after Monday’s practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex:
"“We’ve got games down the stretch for a push for somebody to make a case. They’ll probably both continue to get games.”"
Vanecek has lost four of his last five games allowing 19 goals and putting up a see percentage of .863. This came after a stretch where he won six in a row. Samsonov has lost three of his last five games allowing 14 goals and a save percentage of .859.
"“I’d like to have a guy that has emerged and moved forward from that group (heading into the playoffs). They’re both good goaltenders but you want somebody to really take hold of it. There’s an opportunity down the stretch here.”"
Samsonov is 19-9-4 with a 2.95 goals against average and a .899 save percentage. Vanecek is 17-11-5 with a 2.60 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. The question everybody is wondering is who will emerge and ultimately, who will Laviolette choose to start Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
If I were Laviolette I would give Samsonov a start tomorrow night against the Tampa Bay Lightning to see how he does. If he does well, go with him again on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. If not, go with Vanecek in Pittsburgh.
If the goaltending gets better I see the defense getting in sync and the offense begin to click and score goals. If they can do that and learn to win in front of the home fans again, this team could shock the league. If not, they’ll only be dealing with another early exit.